Anxiety/Teariness/Depression

Understanding the Period / Mood Connection

Are you dreading the lead up to your period? You might be fine all month but come period time, your moods are “off the chart”.

A change in mood can be the most debilitating thing for a woman is getting or has her period. And it can affect the whole household.

“The teariness is just terrible. I know it’s only because of my period. I don’t want to go through this every month”.

The truth is that your hormones and your brain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) are connected. So for some women, if your hormones are imbalances, so are your moods.

As an example, progesterone is linked to GABA. GABA is our calming brain chemical. So if you are low in progesterone, changes are your anxiety may increase in the second half of your cycle (when progesterone needs to be high).

Estrogen which is too high or too low can be linked with teariness, irritability and depression. Estrogen can have an affect on our serotonin levels so it’s important to look after both.

As naturopaths we have tools to help reduce estrogen, but we also want to support serotonin, by using nutrients such as zinc and B6, which are required for serotonin to work well.

If you are experiencing moods that affect your life every month, then call for a free 10 min phone chat to find out how one of our naturopaths may help you.